Please don’t touch me, doctor

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In my time as a clinician, I have had to answer several questions and dispel many anxieties raised by patients. Most anxieties are genuine, and so are the myriad of unending questions. But every now and again, something comes up that has no straight answers.

Recently, a young couple asked me why doctors are fond of physically examining patients - seemingly touching and prodding all conceivable places in an attempt to make a diagnosis. Is there no viable alternative? And can patients choose not to be physically touched by doctors? The answer is somewhere in between.